I don’t know about you guys, but I’m just ready for the cast announcement so we can get all of this speculating over & done with! But to help us get a handle on who might be in and out, let’s take a look at what combination of “casting types” we might get this season.

Advantages: The winningest of the 12 types, their obvious advantage is their athleticism – you won’t see these guys struggling with strength or endurance moves. In addition, the same tireless work ethic that helped them medal in the Olympics will likely carry them through the toils of the competition. They also seem to be adored by the masses, as many are seen as “hero” figures – which translates into a formidable voting fanbase.

Disadvantages: For those specializing in sports that are less “artistic” (i.e. swimming, running, volleyball), it might be a bit hard to really get into the character of the dance and truly perform to the crowd. Previously incurred injuries (or the fear of incurring an injury that might hinder their participation in subsequent competitions in their sport, a la Misty May-Treanor) may also slow them down & limit their mobility.

Possible candidates this season: The only semi-legitmate Olympian prospect I think we’ve heard is Bruce Jenner – and I would like to think that TPTB would have mercy and not subject us to back-to-back seasons of Kardashians in the audience

Advantages: As with the Olympians, their athleticism & work ethic make them well-suited to the competition. An edge they might have over their Olympic counterparts: sports like football, auto racing, & mixed martial arts tend to have a larger, more mainstream following than some of the Olympic sports.

Disadvantages: Again, a lack of “artistic” experience & previous injury (especially with the football players, who have really taken a beating over the years). Some of the more muscular athletes in hard-hitting sports may also have difficulty with the refined, precise moves of some of the dances.

Possible candidates this season: Vince Young tweeted that he had been asked to the do the show, then suspiciously deleted the tweet. Guilty much? We’ve also heard Annika Sorenstam’s name in the mix.

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

It’s that time of year, again – time to take all the wacky rumors and all the wacky casting patterns we see from season to season and hypothesize who we might actually get to see This year is interesting, in that we already definitely know one of the celebs, are fairly certain about two others, and have got definite suspicions about another two – almost takes a bit of fun out of the guessing, no? But I’m sure there will be at least one celeb who’s name we haven’t heard – and at least one we’ve never heard of, too…thankfully, even unpredictability becomes predictable after awhile! But let’s get it on with it, shall we? Oh, and if you’re feeling nostalgic (and want to see how effective using these cast types as a template can be), check out the typecasting of season 10, season 11, and season 12

Advantages: The winningest of the 12 types, their obvious advantage is their athleticism – you won’t see these guys struggling with strength or endurance moves. In addition, the same tireless work ethic that helped them medal in the Olympics will likely carry them through the toils of the competition. They also seem to be adored by the masses, as many are seen as “hero” figures – which translates into a formidable voting fanbase.

Disadvantages: For those specializing in sports that are less “artistic” (i.e. swimming, running, volleyball), it might be a bit hard to really get into the character of the dance and truly perform to the crowd. Previously incurred injuries (or the fear of incurring an injury that might hinder their participation in subsequent competitions in their sport, a la Misty May-Treanor) may also slow them down & limit their mobility. Read more..

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

That’s not really a good way to describe them…. But, I had the most difficult weekend imaginable, a most horrid nightmare…. But, I know that there are worse nightmares out there, but this one is pretty difficult to get through right now for me…. And that is all about that.

Throughout the seasons that I’ve watched DWTS (beginning season 3), there are some pros that I wanted to see more, and have been disappointed that they haven’t returned, beyond one season. Since I didn’t watch the first two seasons, I can’t focus on any of those pros AT THIS TIME!

We start in Season 7, with INNA BREYER!! She was a brand new pro that season, and paired with Ted McGinley, if I remember, the same season that we met Lacey. She was on the show for only one week, but had 2 performance shows. That was the season that they all performed on Night One, and then slowly announced who was safe…. They had everyone out before each number, and announced one by one, the pair who would be dancing next…. Creating a LOT of drama and unnecessary pressure (in my mind, anyway) on all of the remaining pairs. The pair left standing at the end went home without dancing a second time.

Here’s her second dance with Ted, they danced the Mambo to “Mambo Gozon” by Tito Puente. They scored a 6,6,7 for 19 points. And, they did not return for week 2, which was very disappointing for me, because I wouid STILL love to see more of Inna, I think she did quite well with Ted. I did like her more than Lacey.

Next…. Remember Fabian Sanchez??? He was on for only Season 6, with Marlee Matlin. I loved this pair, and I thought that each week they remained, they were a triumph! It seems that Fabian is what I think a professional on the show should be…. He was encouraging, he was thoughtful of his partner, he had wonderful choreography…. And so much more. I’ve been disappointed that he didn’t return after Season 6. I still think that he embodies what this show has always been about….He was given a partner who had a big handicap on the show, since she is the only one to compete, that’s not been able to hear the music…. He was able to teach her the musicality, and the dance, without hearing. Quite an accomplishment, in my book.

I chose to show you Season 6, Week 4, with Marlee Matlin and Fabian Sanchez, they danced the Viennese Waltz to “She’s Always a Woman” by Billy Joel…. Solely because I sat here at my computer and cried while watching again. They scored an 8,8,8 for 24 points.

Last up for today, Damian Whitewood…. Damian first came to our attention in Season 10, paired with Pamela Anderson…. I will admit right now, that Pamela and Damian were not my favorite pair of the season, but they did impress me,,,, I loved how well that Pamela was able to totally embody each and every character of each and every dance that they did on the show….. To me, she will stand out as one of the best character dancers…. Even if she didn’t get the technique, no one could ever fault her character…. And obviously, they loved dancing with each other, because they paired up for another dance series, and our wonderful friend Carlos brought it to our attention….. They performed on a similar series from Argentina (and Wiki says it’s NOT related to DWTS or SCD at all, but will defer to our wonderful Carlos for the last word on this…) called Bailando por un Sueño

Maybe Carlos could find a video that he likes from Pamela and Damian, from this series, and we can add it? And… could we learn more about it?

I chose the Argentine Tango for Pamela and Damian… Here is Season 10, Week 6… Pamela Anderson and Damian Whitewood, dancing to “Enjoy the Silence” by Tanghetto. They gota 7,7,8 for 22 points, plus 8 points from the swing dance marathon, for a grand total of 30 points for that week.

So… That’s it for now!!!! Is there someone else you would love to reminisce about? Care to share? Which pros that we haven’t seen in a while would you like to remember and dream about in an upcoming post? Is there a dance style you’d love to see more of, and which would you like to see again?

Part 2 in my series about the Judges Scoring History covers season 6 of Dancing with the Stars; the season of Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas (read Part 1 here). Prior to re-watching the season, I remembered it as a season in which Kristi dominated. I don’t think, anymore, that that is necessarily the case. She is still probably the biggest ringer the show has ever cast, when looking at it from a fanbase AND experience point of view, but she didn’t dominate the show in like I remember. I also never got the feeling – like I did with Nicole – that the judges were purposely underscoring her in order to make it look more like a horse race. In fact, I have very few gripes with the judging in this season, period.

Here were the scores from Week 5, onward:

Season 6 Weekly Scores (Part I)

Celebrity

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Kristi

29 (Rumba)

30 (Jive)

26 (V. Waltz)

29 (Quickstep)

28 (Cha Cha)

26 (Samba)

Jason

27 (Rumba)

24 (Cha Cha)

29 (Quickstep)

29 (Tango)

26 (Paso Doble)

23 (Samba)

Christian

23 (Rumba)

27 (Foxtrot)

25 (V. Waltz)

28 (Tango)

21 (Samba)

29 (Mambo)

Marissa

24 (Samba)

26 (V. Waltz)

27 (Tango)

25 (Foxtrot)

25 (Rumba)

25 (Mambo)

Mario

27 (Samba)

28 (Rumba)

24 (Foxtrot)

27 (V. Waltz)

27 (Mambo)

26 (Jive)

Shannon

23 (Samba)

24 (Rumba)

27 (Tango)

24 (Rumba)

Marlee

22 (Samba)

21 (Mambo)

Priscilla

21 (Rumba)

Season 6 Weekly Scores (Part II)

Celebrity

Week 9

Week 10

Week Finale

Kristi

29 (Tango)

30 (Cha Cha)

30 (Jive)

28 (Jive)

30 (Freestyle)

Jason

28 (Foxtrot)

24 (Cha Cha)

30 (Quickstep)

27 (Paso Doble)

27 (Freestyle)

Christian

27 (V.Waltz)

26 (Cha Cha)

29 (Samba)

26 (Freestyle)

Marissa

26 (Quickstep)

26 (Rumba)

- Week 5 – The judges essentially raved about Mario and Kristi, while all the rest got constructive criticism. I think the judges gave Marissa an accurate score, but were quite harsh on Priscilla and Shannon. Both of them, in addition to Christian, were underscored, particularly when compared to Marissa. Christian, frankly, was robbed. They gave the encore to Kristi, but I was shocked to realize that, IMO, the best dance of the night belonged to Edyta and Jason.

- Week 6 – Here we see, again, a bit of over-scoring – Christian had been in the bottom 2 the previous week, so this week he gets raves on a dance that clearly seemed rushed to me. Again, Mario and Kristi get raves, and Marissa gets handled with kid gloves. Marissa isn’t a “bad” dancer, per se, but she isn’t as good as Shannon or Pricilla. I often think that if you dance better than the judges expect, you get better scores than people who danced better – if those people are expected to dance better. Follow me? Anyway, Mario would have gotten a higher score if not for the lift police. I don’t disagree with the judges and Shannon’s hips (she has none, lucky beyotch), but the words exchanged with Bruno were quite harsh – the look of utter shock on Shannon’s face was hard to look at and that shock is a likely catalyst for what comes later…but more on that later.

- Week 7 – This is the week where everyone has one good dance and one not so good dance. And that pretty much sums it up. I would say there’s a trend between this season and Season 5, but it can likely be chalked up to the first week with two whole dances. The only scoring that impressed me as off (other than Marissa) was Jason. As much as I loved him, I thought he was slightly overscored in his quickstep. I just don’t get the love affair they have with Marissa. I mean, she’s not a “bad” dancer, but I don’t think she’s always worthy of the scores she gets. I think she might be getting the “personality” score.

- Week 8 – A week later than Season 5, we hear the old mantra of “that was good, but not quite good enough for heading into the semi-finals. Marissa got it, as did Jason on his second dance. Christian did not get the talk, he actually got raves and this was the week after he tore his tendon in his arm. He actually did very well, but I thought that he was not as good as Mario who was scored lower. Kristi got her usual raves although she and Mario both got some flack for their second dances. Kristi because her Samba was “awkward and out of control” – and I absolutely agreed with that assessment. WAY too much stuff in that dance. Mario’s feet were apparently bad or “rough” – but still, better than Christian. While I agreed with Jason’s critiques, there is no way he was 3 points behind Kristi in the second dance. As for Marissa, she is far below the other dancers in terms of quality.

- Week 9 – Marissa gets a break (a little) on the scores, much like the semi-final ease up in Season 5. She still gets a good bit of criticism (lack of body content in hold, missed leap on the run), including the “It’s not a semi-final dance” for the second one. But her quickstep was pretty good, so I can see the improvement in score. On the other hand, Kristi, Christian and Jason all get basically rave reviews with minor critiques thrown in. Kristi got the “too hectic” from Len on her Tango (agreed) and the “hair out of sync” from Carrie Ann on her Jive (agreed) – which was really Mark out dancing her a bit, like he has a tendency to do with all his partners on Jive. Christian was “occasionally flatfooted” on his Viennese Waltz. I take it back, Jason was not critiqued at all and in my notes I have the words “slightly over rated” for his Paso Doble. That’s okay, because I have “underscored” next to his Foxtrot.

This is a random note, but I noticed that Marissa got harder dances, while Kristi got dances that were perfect for her. The dances on this night were determined by “random draw” and I always wonder about those and if they are REALLY random. At the end of the night I also felt that Jason out danced Kristi, even though she beat him by two points.

- Week 10 – Jason and Christian are pretty much left in Kristi’s dust. She is the most consistent and technically superior of the three so that’s no big thing. Not much point in discussing the scoring, although I will say that Christian’s injury does catch up with him – I didn’t get the feeling there was underscoring going on to prop up Kristi. As for Jason – the Cha Cha was clearly not his dance, especially not in a “cha cha challenge” where they all dance to the same song one after the other. Not that Kristi needed propping. I predicted as soon as her name was announced that she would win. She’s *Kristi Yamaguchi* after all.

Season 6 Summary – On finale night, Christian is announced as 3rd place before there is anymore dancing. After that, both Kristi and Jason are given perfect 30’s – pretty safe, since Kristi is still 9 points ahead. I didn’t note whether I found Jason’s score to be valid or not, since it really didn’t matter at that point. No one is going to over come a 9 point lead against Kristi. That’s not to say the scores weren’t valid – they were. I had very few problems with how this season went down. No real surprises. No shocks. They did make a point, from time to time of saying that a dance wasn’t up to par for a given point in the season – which is how it should be.

Random Observations:

Christian and Jason’s bromance is the sweetest thing about this season.

Kristi wasn’t the phenom that I remember her to be. She’s very, VERY good, but I actually enjoyed Christian and Jason more, from an entertainment standpoint.

Week 8 this season was the first non-bottom 2 reveal. I’m waiting to see what season they do away with it altogether and if it becomes obvious WHY they do it.

Len did his Master Class with the remaining couples in Week 9 – I had forgotten how hilarious he can be. This one ends with him in a limo with Kym.

Mark DIDN’T have polka dots in Kristi’s 1st Jive costume other than her hair bow – yes, you know this is remarkable if you’ve been paying attention. He did succumb to the polka dots for their jive in the semis.

Derek hurts his neck, then gets food poisoning, then has a meltdown with Shannon the confessional – who was saying he’s never been challenged?? Anyway, the meltdown – they apologized over and over and over and both seemed to regret it. Somehow, that got lost in the discussions of the subject well after the fact.

This season had one of the great Pro Dances that seem to have faded away in the seasons since.

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

Whenever the time comes to start speculating about the next season’s cast, one useful “tool” we all seem to use is the patterns in typecasting over the seasons – we know there will likely be at least 1 athlete, perhaps a reality TV star, a singer or two, etc. But when you REALLY take a good look at the casting “types” over the seasons, it becomes clear that each season has been a carefully-crafted combination of celebs to appeal almost every demographic…and I think we’ve cracked that code

Prior to the cast announcements, I’ve done a typecasting analysis for both season 10 and season 11, and both casts have fulfilled almost every subtype (with some celebs fulfilling more than one “type”). So why not take a look at the casting rumors for season 12 and see which might fit into the casting equation, shall we?

Advantages: The winningest of the 12 types, their obvious advantage is their athleticism – you won’t see these guys struggling with strength or endurance moves. In addition, the same tireless work ethic that helped them medal in the Olympics will likely carry them through the toils of the competition. They also seem to be adored by the masses, as many are seen as “hero” figures – which translates into a formidable voting fanbase.

Disadvantages: For those specializing in sports that are less “artistic” (i.e. swimming, running, volleyball), it might be a bit hard to really get into the character of the dance and truly perform to the crowd. Previously incurred injuries (or the fear of incurring an injury that might hinder their participation in subsequent competitions in their sport, a la Misty May-Treanor) may also slow them down & limit their mobility.

Possible candidates this season: Since we didn’t get an Olympian last season, I can almost guarantee we’ll get one this season – and the most likely candidate seems to be Nastia Liukin, who has been a rumor for a few seasons now and has started following Mark on Twitter within the past few days. Other possibilities: Greg Louganis, who seems to have been trying for several seasons now to get onto the show; and while it may be a long-shot, Johnny Weir fans are still campaigning for a “Team Weirnoff” partnership.

Advantages: As with the Olympians, their athleticism & work ethic make them well-suited to the competition. An edge they might have over their Olympic counterparts: sports like football, auto racing, & mixed martial arts tend to have a larger, more mainstream following than some of the Olympic sports.

Disadvantages: Again, a lack of “artistic” experience & previous injury (especially with the football players, who have really taken a beating over the years). Some of the more muscular athletes in hard-hitting sports may also have difficulty with the refined, precise moves of some of the dances.

Possible candidates this season: This category has been oddly devoid of really “solid” possibilities this season, aside from the Brett Favre debacle – doubtful, but stranger things have happened on the show! Chris Jericho was also kicked around as a possibility again this season, and it looks like WWE Diva Maria Kanellis is still gunning for a spot on the show.

Advantages: All the costumes seem to look fantastic on them (and they can get away with wearing the really skimpy ones) and so do their pro partners – easy to imagine a “showmance”, which always seems to grab votes. Also seems to have cornered the votes of the small population of male viewers, for obvious reasons

Disadvantages: Despite making a career out of looking great posing & strutting down the runway, many of them have proven to be rather awkward movers outside of that context, and some seem to have a hard time carrying around their taller than average stature. They also run the risk of getting lost in the shuffle among attractive male competitors, who seem to draw in more votes from the predominantly-female viewing population.

Possible candidates this season: A strong possibility seems to be Kendra Wilkinson, who would be following in the footsteps of her Girls Next Door co-star Holly Madison. Rumored contestant Lee Meriwether is also a former Miss America.

Advantages: These individuals are extremely well-known & respected in the entertainment business, with many years of experience (and fans) under their belts, as well as an award or two. Also masters of the stage & screen – perhaps the best at emulating the emotions of the dances.

Disadvantages: With many years of experience comes an older age than many of their competitors – which comes with an increased risk of injury & fatigue that could limit the difficulty of their routines.

Possible candidates this season: We’ve got two ladies with quite a sterling reputation in show business – Faye Dunaway & Lee Meriwether. One was the original “Bonnie” of Bonnie & Clyde; the other was the original Catwoman. Who do you think we’ll get?

Advantages: The demographic of soap opera viewers overlaps heavily with the demographic of viewers of DWTS, and most soap opera viewers have been watching those shows for years (I started watching General Hospital when I was 6!), so they often have a fierce loyalty to their favorite characters (and the actors/actresses who portray them).

Disadvantages: This group likely has the most grueling schedule to contend with, as most soaps tape year-round, and some of them are taped in New York, forcing the stars (and sometimes their partners) to fly coast-to-coast several times a week to practice. Many also have absolutely no background in any kind of sport, making them a real “project” for the pros to take on.

Possible candidates this season: The lovely Lee Meriwether could do triple duty this season, by fulfilling this category by virtue of her role of Ruth Martin on All My Children. From the online voting for this season’s cast, it looks like Colleen Zenk & Crystal Chappell are also big favorites.

Advantages: Let’s face it, they’re fun to watch, and they definitely inject some much- needed hilarity into the show.

Disadvantages: They often come across like they don’t take the competition seriously, instead favoring their usual schtick over actual dancing. Some of their on-show humor (Jeff Ross’ in particular) can also be rather polarizing – hilarious to some, offensive to others. And again – often no background in any sort of sport, let alone dancing.

Possible candidates this season: None that we’ve heard of…but who would you like to see? I’m holding out for a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour to sign on – Ron White would be a hoot!

So do you guys think I’m onto something with this season’s rumors? Tune in for my next installment, where I dissect just who we might get this season from the teen idol, host, actor, reality star, singer, & wild card categories!

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

Prior to the cast announcement last season, some of you may remember me analyzing the typecasting of DWTS – basically, the patterns in celeb casting over the seasons which can help us to predict who we might see each season. Interesting to note – last season’s cast fulfilled all 12 of my types (counting Nicole as both a “Teen Idol” and a “Singer”). So why not examine those types again and see what we might get for this season?

Advantages: The winningest of the 12 types, their obvious advantage is their athleticism – you won’t see these guys struggling with strength or endurance moves. In addition, the same tireless work ethic that helped them medal in the Olympics will likely carry them through the toils of the competition.

Disadvantages: For those specializing in sports that are less “artistic” (i.e. swimming, running, volleyball), it might be a bit hard to really get into the character of the dance and truly perform to the crowd. Previously incurred injuries (or the fear of incurring an injury that might hinder their participation in subsequent competitions in their sport, a la Misty May-Treanor) may also slow them down & limit their mobility.

Possible candidates this season:Johnny Weir fans (including Karina Smirnoff) have been tweeting like crazy trying to get him cast this season, but I don’t see them succeeding. I see more possibilities with swimmer Greg Louganis, who has been trying to get on the show for several seasons now, or gymnast Nastia Liukin – a teammate of Shawn Johnson’s & an alleged former flame of Lysacek.

Advantages: As with the Olympians, their athleticism & work ethic make them well-suited to the competition. An edge they might have over their Olympic counterparts: sports like football, auto racing, & mixed martial arts tend to have a larger, more mainstream following than some of the Olympic sports.

Disadvantages: Again, a lack of “artistic” experience & previous injury (especially with the football players, who have really taken a beating over the years). Some of the more muscular athletes in hard-hitting sports may also have difficulty with the refined, precise moves of some of the dances.

Possible candidates this season: At this point, the numerous (reputable) news outlets reporting that Kurt Warner is going to be on season 11, along with Kurt’s own coy dodging of questions regarding his participation, make him almost a lock for this season in my eyes. Don’t see a whole lot of hope for wrestler Shelley Martinez. Landon Donovan is a toss-up for me – maybe, maybe not. We here at Pure DWTS would love to see a representative from a more unique sport – such as jockey Chantal Sutherland. Troy Aikmen – nice try, but we’re pretty sure you’re just joshin’ us

Advantages: All the costumes seem to look fantastic on them (and they can get away with wearing the really skimpy ones) and so do their pro partners – easy to imagine a “showmance”, which always seems to grab votes. Also seems to have cornered the votes of the small population of male viewers, for obvious reasons

Disadvantages: Despite making a career out of looking great posing & strutting down the runway, many of them have proven to be rather awkward movers outside of that context, and some seem to have a hard time carrying around their taller than average stature. They also run the risk of “pretty girl backlash” – the female viewers may turn on them due to jealousy or perceived arrogance, or just never vote for them in the first place, instead giving their votes to the attractive male participants.

Possible candidates this season: Rumors have been flying about UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste, and True Beauty contestant Amy Schmoldt has been hinting that she’d like to do the show.

Advantages: These individuals are extremely well-known & respected in the entertainment business, with many years of experience (and fans) under their belts, as well as an award or two. Also masters of the stage & screen – perhaps the best at emulating the emotions of the dances.

Disadvantages: With many years of experience comes an older age than many of their competitors – which comes with an increased risk of injury & fatigue that could limit the difficulty of their routines.

Possible candidates this season: The Betty White rumor seems to be kaput, so that only leaves Ryan O’Neal, whose name we’ve heard only a few times as a possible contestant.

Advantages: The demographic of soap opera viewers overlaps heavily with the demographic of viewers of DWTS, and most soap opera viewers have been watching those shows for years (I started watching General Hospital when I was 6!), so they often have a fierce loyalty to their favorite characters (and the actors/actresses who portray them).

Disadvantages: This group likely has the most grueling schedule to contend with, as most soaps tape year-round, and some of them are taped in New York, forcing the stars (and sometimes their partners) to fly coast-to-coast several times a week to practice. Many also have absolutely no background in any kind of sport, making them a real “project” for the pros to take on.

Possible candidates this season: The most likely is probably Nancy Lee Grahn, since she’s on an ABC soap. Although I’d love to see Martha Byrne’s campaigners succeed in getting her on the show! As for the men – seems like the only name we’ve heard is Antonio Sabato Jr., and that really just seems more like wishful thinking on the part of his fans.

Advantages: Let’s face it, they’re fun to watch, and they definitely inject some much- needed hilarity into the show.

Disadvantages: They often come across like they don’t take the competition seriously, instead favoring their usual schtick over actual dancing. Some of their on-show humor (Jeff Ross’ in particular) can also be rather polarizing – hilarious to some, offensive to others. And again – often no background in any sort of sport, let alone dancing.

Possible candidates this season: The only name we’ve heard is Heather McDonald, and we can’t even telling if she’s serious or kidding

Tune in for part II, when I make my predictions for who we might see in the way of reality TV stars, teen idols, and much more!

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

Alright kids…another week, another batch of 7 costumes to compare, contrast, and critique! And I know you all don’t agree wholeheartedly with everything Heidi & I have to say, so please…speak up. Show us that you give a damn (Heidi: I’m in a really bad mood because this is turning into a 60 hour work week. Warning, warning!!)

And again, many, many thanks to Marcela in Brazil for sending us a plethora of pictures of dittoed costumes that she found Você é maravilhosa, Marcela!

Courtney: As much as I don’t particularly care for Kim’s personality (especially her rather blasé demeanor while she was on the show), I think this suits Kim’s complexion and hair color better than it does Chelsie – seems to make her look ruddy. But definitely one of my favorite ballgowns they’ve ever had on the show – love the color combo and just the simplicity of the cut.

Heidi: I think it shortens Chelsie’s body too much – maybe the ankle length?? Or maybe just the pose. And I agree, it definitely goes better with the darker hair and completion on Kim.

The winner: Kim, in spite of her personality.

Battle of the yellow, cut-out, feathered Latin dress: Brooke in the samba smackdown in season 7 vs. Cheryl in the pro dance to Robin Thicke in season 8

Heidi: This is a stupid dress. I don’t like yellow, I don’t like the cutouts, I don’t like it on either of them. :::stamps feet::::

Courtney: Now I love yellow – but the cut of this dress is just silly-looking to me. Makes both ladies look like Tweety Bird or something. It also doesn’t do justice to professional American rhythm competitor Jaana Lillemagi. But since we’ve already determined that Cheryl can pull off yellow with her skin tone, I’m gonna go with her.

The winner: Despite Heidi’s temper tantrum, Cheryl looks the best as a cartoon canary.

Battle of the royal blue satin cut-out Latin dress: Julianne’s cha-cha with Apolo in season 4 vs. Anna in the pro paso demo in season 8

Courtney: This dress is just extremely odd to me – doesn’t really feel like a Latin dress or a ballgown. And Anna, you know I love you to bits, but man – you look GHASTLY in this dress. I feel like it just makes Anna look pale, and something about the cut of it adds pounds to her otherwise flawless figure. It’s not terrible on Julianne, per se; it’s just kind of a non-event. Not bad, but not great. So I’ll go with Julianne.

Heidi: Boy, you’re reading my mind here. This dress’s structure is not flattering to either girl. Luckily for Julianne, she comes off a bit better, due mainly due to the pose. Anna, who has a perfect figure, looks almost like she has a spare tire. It’s that stupid vertical pit of fabric, I think, combined with the straight cut across the hips.

The winner: Julianne by a pose.

Battle of the sparkly, gold, long-sleeve romper: Julianne’s freestyle with Helio in season 5 vs. Karina’s pro dance with Derek to Selena Gomez in season 9

Heidi: Well, I have mad love for Karina’s partner, plus I think it suits her hair and skin tone better.

Courtney: CAMEL TOE ALERT!!! Ladies, this is why skin-tight rompers should just be avoided altogether – it’s hard to mask this dreaded fashion faux pas. It makes it hard for me to even really like this costume on either lady – but since it’s not quite so visible on Karina, I’m giving this one to her.

Heidi: Well I think that most of what you’re seeing is a function of fabric, camera angle and shadow. I don’t think there is a true camel toe (and god, even typing those words makes me throw up in my mouth a bit – thanks, Court).

Courtney: Camel toe is no laughing matter, my friend! Hehe

The winner: Karina, by a hotter partner and better angle.

Battle of the pink, fringy, sparkly Latin dress: Kym’s jive with Mark in season 5 vs. Marlee’s preseason photo shoot with Fabian in season 6

Courtney: Wow, what a difference lighting makes! I can assure you all that this is indeed the same dress – the lighting from Marlee’s photo shoot just really washes out the otherwise vibrant neon pink that we see in Kim’s jive. I’m not particularly wowed by the dress on either lady. So again, I default to my wise cohort on this one

Heidi: Kym. Kym all the way. Better boobage, better lighting, a face full of joy.

The winner: Kym by default.

Battle of the black & white, sparkly patterned ballgown: Melissa’s foxtrot with Tony in season 8 vs. Anna in the pro dance to Michael Buble in season 9

Heidi: This is a pretty dress – I dig it. It looks good on both ladies, but I have to go with Anna, mainly because her shoes match better and I like her hair better. I don’t like the tight style that Melissa is wearing.

Courtney: I’ve got to give this one to Anna – like with Lacey & the zebra dress last week, the little “pop” of color of her red hair just seems to pair better with the black & white of the dress than Melissa’s darker hair.

The winner: Anna!! By a hair…and a shoe.

Battle of the red, sparkly, ruffle-y, cut-out Latin dress: Marlee’s cha-cha with Fabian in season 6 vs. Shawn’s preseason photo shoot with Mark in season 8

Courtney: Either I’m just getting sick of commenting on costumes (doubtful ) or I’ve seen this dress before – or rather, several dresses that seem nearly the same. What is it with the costume department and red, ruffle-y, sparkly Latin dresses for the ladies? It’s becoming almost cliché. I guess I pick Shawn for this one – for once, the overall look of a dress actually seems more “finished” the 2nd go-round than it did for the first!

Heidi: Whoa. Marlee is WHITE. Way too white. Distractingly white. Gotta go with Shawn for her tan and her ear rings.

The winner: Shawn by a tan.

You know you love lookin’ at costumes. So why not quell your appetite for fashion by reviewing parts I, II, III, IV, & V while you wait for next week’s edition?

Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble. Check out some of my other work at pureamericasgottalent.com!

I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

My life can be summed up in the following two quotes: 1) "I am married to engineering and am its faithful wife by day, but at night my wanderlust takes hold and the arts becomes my jealous paramour." and... 2) "Engineering is my safety net. Writing is my passion. Acting is my escape when the other two become too much." So where does dancing fit in? Pretty much anywhere at this point... =)